Tabby Cat
by Jennifish
Summary: After Luna returns to finish her 7th year with Ginny, Ginny realizes that she has no idea what her future holds. It appears that with a help of a tabby cat, she may discover what she wants.
1. Chapter 1

Puberty is hard for everyone,and anyone that says their early teenage years were great should be hexed where they stand. Puberty sucks...immensely. Between the acne, the awkward weight gains, hair growing in weird places, and the friend that visits monthly, puberty and your teen years makes He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named seem like he's easy to deal with. Being a teenager, especially one in the wizarding world, means puberty quite an important time in your life. There is no college here, you learn what you need to at Hogwarts, or the other wizarding schools around, but Hogwarts is the best. My point is, that most people get their lives together right after seventh year is completed. It seems like as soon as the term ends, everyone knows exactly what they want to do with the rest of their lives. I'm not ready though, there are some things divination can't even tell me about my future.

It was the August before my final year at Hogwarts, and life was very different. The burrow seemed empty now, all of us kids have grown up, and as muggles put it, "the birds have left the nest." Fred and Angelina moved into the flat above the joke shop, and Percy,Charlie, and Bill have been long moved out. Fleur had Victoire this past May actually, she's an adorable little girl and she gets along great with Teddy. Ron moved into a small house in Godric's Hollow with Hermione so they could close to Harry. After the war, Harry decided that he wanted to move into his parents home and fix it up for them, he says the house is his anyway, but personally, I think it's a way of finding closure with the whole Voldemort ordeal.

I opened the door to my room and saw that Luna was there, which wasn't a surprise, it is her room now after all. The death-eaters did all but burn her house to the ground, and Mum, being the nice woman she is, told Luna and her father that they could move in with us until their house is fully repaired. At first I wasn't too sure of how that would work out, with Luna's dad running the Quibbler and mine working at the Daily Prophet, but it's worked out wonderfully. Luna was coming to school with me for a semester, all the previous seventh years were. Due to the battle, the term was cut short and kids sent home, and as regulations stated, the seventh years had to finish out their semester before they could start the rest of their lives.

"Hey Luna..." I began as I sat on the bed next to her.

"Yeah, Gin?" Luna asked, her pale eyes meeting mine as she put today's edition of the Quibbler on the nightstand.

"Do you know what you want to do when you finish school?"

"I'm gonna work with Dad on the Quibbler." She said. "I'm the only one who believes in nargles."

"What about marriage? Are you planning on marrying Neville some time along the line?" I angled my body slightly so I could face her.

"No, I do not wish to marry Neville." Luna said in a matter-of-fact kind of way.

I was very confused, she seemed to fancy Neville since her fourth year, when I went with him to the Yule Ball, but then again, they never got together.

"Why not?" I asked, the confusion showing on my face.

Luna got really quiet for a few moments and looked at her hands.

"Luna, you know you can tell me anything. I won't judge."

She looked up at me with a very nervous look and said "It didn't feel right, in fact being with any boy doesn't feel right. I think...well...I think I may only be interested in girls."

I was silent for a second or two, and went " Okay, whatever floats your boat."

She breathed a sigh of relief and hugged me, then, like Luna does, started talking about Wrackspurts and Nargles for hours.


	2. Chapter 2

For the very last time, Luna and I both walked through platform 9 and 3/4 to board the Hogwarts Express for our final trip to Hogwarts. I waved goodbye to my family, and as we pulled out of the station I was overwhelmed with emotion.

"Ginny, what's the matter?" Luna asked as she caught me wiping tears from my eyes.

"I'm just being emotional, you know teenage girl." We both laughed a little, then she said

"Why were you really crying?"

"It's our last trip to Hogwarts together,Luna. When we come home for Christmas, you'll be done, you won't be coming back with me. "

I started to tear up a little, Luna and I have been friends forever. We spent a majority of the time spent at school together, she and Hermione were there for me when I went through all my broken hearts. It's gonna be so hard to get on that train alone, I mean, for the first time, my best friend won't be with me at school.

Luna put her arms around me a pulled me into a hug, I buried my face into her shoulder and let her soothe me, her fingers rubbing small circles into my back. When I finally stopped crying, she let go and decided to buy chocolate frogs from the trolley. I pushed the thought of wanting her arms back around me into the back of my mind, and instead asked for some pumpkin pasties.

We arrived at Hogwarts a few hours later, and I felt my heart drop slightly as we were separated by house for the final time. I was the only Weasley left in Gryffindor, which was rather weird, but Hermione was there. She'd been on the train with us as well, but she was too busy being swarmed by adoring fans that she was hardly in our compartment at all.

I sat next to Hermione and talked like we normally do throughout the ceremony and welcomed the first year Gryffindors. Hermione was going to be here all year with me, to finish out her final year at Hogwarts, but we aren't really that close anymore. We'll always be friends and eventually sister-in-laws; I hear that my brother plans to pop the question this Christmas, and she's been head over heels for him since third year. I became really close with Luna last year, we'd teamed up along with Cho to help build the order from inside the castle, and with the help of Neville, and previous members of Dumbledore's Army, a pretty good defense was built for the war.

By the time the feast was over, I went to my new dormitory, I was a prefect. Luna was made one too, Hermione was offered the prefect role, but she declined. Thankfully, I don't have prefect duty until next week, and every single round I had was with Luna. How that happened, I have no idea. But if Headmistress McGonagall had anything to do with it, she had a reason for it. A reason that I have yet to discover...perhaps I should keep an eye out for a tabby cat following me around.


	3. Chapter 3

Being a seventh year wasn't actually half bad, it wasn't as stressful as I had thought it would be. Yet again, nothing could be as stressful as last year was, and this was the first year without a threat of Voldemort attacking. The semester seemed to be flying by; the days seem long, but the weeks and months felt so short. Luna and I have the prefect rounds for the rest of the days remaining until Christmas Break, that leaves about three weeks.

The work level had calmed down a lot, the teachers were giving us time in class to finish our homework assignments. I assumed everyone was ready for winter break, and that since this was the first year since the war, no teacher was back to themselves quite yet. I wasn't about to complain though, it was nice to be able to finish the classes for the day and not have three essays due the next day.

Luna's been walking me to class a lot, even the ones we don't have together. I don't know why, but every time she does this and walks away, she glances behind her, we meet eyes, and for some reason I feel my face get hot and my lips turn up into a smile. I don't knows what's come over me, I was never this dependent on Luna before. We never talked outside of class before last year, and now, it feels like if I don't see or hear her, I won't survive through the day. I find myself thinking of this before I drifted off to sleep.

There's a trip to Hogsmeade today, the last one before Christmas break, the last one I have with Luna. I wake up and it's a bit chilly outside, but luckily there's no snow on the ground, it's supposed to snow later on though. I looked at myself in the mirror, and decided that I really wanted to look nice today. I curled my normally straight hair and applied some make up, not a lot, just enough to highlight my eyes and cheekbones. I put on a pair of dark skinny jeans, and V neck sweater, my green jacket that contrasted nicely with my ginger hair, and a light gray beanie to match my light gray knee high boots.

As I walked out of my dormitory and spotted Luna, she started to stare. I immediately cursed myself for dressing up so much, I'm just going to Hogsmeade with Luna after all, we'd done it a dozen or so times before. We got in the carriages and to our surprise, nobody got in the carriage with us. The thestrals were visible to most people now, except the first years. That meant we weren't alone because we were the only two who pet the thestrals before we got in the carriage. When we finally arrived to Hogsmeade, I realized why we were alone. Many of the carriages were full of couples, those people who were single, were left by themselves in the carriage.

We bought a few things at Hogsmeade, but Luna and I planned to go to Diagon Alley to buy our Christmas presents once school let out. While most of the students were out looking at the shops and the shrieking shack, Luna and I went to the Hog's Head. We got a table in the corner and each had a butterbeer. Our table was close to the fire, so I soon became too warm. I nonchalantly took off my jacket, fixed the creases in my sweater, and continued talking to Luna. She seemed rather quiet and distracted, but that was Luna most of the time.

"You look very beautiful today Ginny. Not that you don't look beautiful any other time, but I just mean that today, you look exceptionally beautiful. "

I'd never seen Luna seem so tongue-tied before, I noticed she was blushing slightly too. The rosiness of her cheeks complimented her doll-like skin nicely though.

"Thanks," I replied after I realized I had been staring at her for some time.

"Is there someone you're trying to impress?" Luna asked, she seemed hesitant though, as if she was scared of the answer.

"Well, I don't quite know." I replied truthfully.

We didn't talk much after that, we both seemed lost in our own minds. On the ride home, it had gotten remarkably cooler and Luna caught me shivering. She grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around the both of us, it wasn't a large blanket, so we had to sit very close to stay warm. I found myself very comfortable like this though, and I leaned against Luna's chest. I didn't realize I had fallen asleep, until I felt her playing with my hair to wake me up.


	4. Chapter 4

We both went straight to bed when we got to the castle. I was beyond exhausted, and I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. I was asleep for hours, until I heard someone knocking on the door. When I opened the door, I discovered a crying Luna in the doorway. I shut the door and helped her to my bed so she could sit down, I ignored the shadow of a cat disappearing down the corridor.

"Luna, what's the matter?" I asked as I rubbed her back and wrapped a blanket around her. The poor girl was freezing, she was in nothing but a tank top and shorts and there was no heat in the corridors of the castle.

"I had more nightmares of the battle." She cried still and clung to my tightly. She's been having nightmares of the battle for a while, we all have. There are so many things that we saw, that no matter how many doctors we talk to that we'll never be able to unsee.

"Here, Luna," I began as I pulled the sheets back, "Why don't you sleep here tonight." Luna crawled into the bed slowly, and laid down tight against me. I draped my arm over her and just held her.

"Hey Ginny..." Luna said as she rolled over to face me. "Why did you stop liking Harry?"

I got kind of flustered, but I said the truth, "I didn't feel right with Harry, I don't really feel right with any guy I've dated. I don't get the whole sweaty palms, heart skips a beat, I can't live my life without you feeling with them."

"So, you didn't love him." Luna said bluntly.

I nodded, but then Luna had a follow up question,

"Then how do you know what love feels like?"

I got really quiet, and looked up at her and I felt my heart jump into my throat.

"Because...because..." I couldn't get my words out.

"Because you feel it with me? Luna said as if she'd read my mind.

I nodded and apologized for how crazy that must be and how I understood if she didn't feel the same way, but before I could start crying, she kissed me.

The kiss felt better than how I ever imagined love would feel. I didn't want to stop, it was just too amazing, I'd never felt anything as wonderful as that.

"I take it you feel the same way." I giggled as we stopped for some much needed air.

I never did get an answer, she just kissed me deeper than she had before and the next morning when we awoke embraced in each others arms, I decided that I didn't want to leave her arms.

Luna never did stay in her own dormitory for the rest of the term, and she ended up staying the rest of the year, "To get the most that Hogwarts had to offer" or at least that's what she told Headmistress McGonagall who simply smiled, winked at me, and said "You're welcome to stay, as long as you're comfortable moving into Ms. Weasley's dormitory for the rest of the year. A transferring student requires your room."

The rest of the year went wonderfully, and when it came to my last day as a Hogwarts student, I was no longer scared for the future. I knew that whatever the future had in store for me, I was ready, as long as I had her by my side.


End file.
